Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 16 April 1951 — Page 10

The Indianapolis Times

A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER pv

WALTER LECKRONE HENRY W. MANZ Editor Business Manager

PAGE 10 Monday, Apr. 16, 1951

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ROY W. HOWARD President

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Telephone RI ley 5551 Glue light and the People Will Find Ther Own Way

Fighting Under Wraps RESIDENT TRUMAN is much more effective when he attacks the Republicans-——who frequently invite attack— than when he attempts to defend his own foreign policy, or lack of one. The President got lusty Democratic cheers when he charged, at the Jefferson-Jackson day dinner, that the Republicans are playing “petty politics” at a time of “deadly peril.” “They think if the country is confused enough they may be able to win the next election,” he said in his second reply to criticism of his removal of Gen. MacArthur. But neither at the $100-a-plate party dinner nor anywhere else has Mr. Truman said or done anything to dispel confusion and enlighten the country as to our future course in Korea and the Far East.

Lieut. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer, llied air commander in Korea, warns that there is ‘unmistakable evidence” of intention by the Red Air Force to attempt all-out attacks on our front line troops and installations. Since United Nations instructions do not permit Allied airmen to destroy the enemy fighters in their Manchurian nests, Gen. Stratemeyer pointed out last Friday, the only recourse is to try to blunt the attack after it has been launched. But, he added: “Blunting a determined aerial thrust by air-to-air combat is uncertain and inconclusive.” Here is plain notice that our ground troops are likely to suffer terrible punishment because the Air Force commanded by Gen. Stratemeyer is compelled to fight under _political wraps. And this is only one of the issues, raised by Gen. MacArthur, which have not been answered by his removal or by Mr. Truman's counteroffensive against the Republicans. :

A Great Englishman RNEST BEVIN, dead in London at the age of 70, will be remembered as the first spokesman for the Western powers to recognize and challenge the Soviet Union's aggressive designs immediately after World War II ended. He brought a virile, sturdy leadership to the British Foreign Office when the Labor Party came to power in 1945, and this quickly identified him as the strong man of the new government. Long service in the trades union movement had taught him how to deal with Communist mentality and tactics, and he matched wits on familiar ground with the Molotovs, Vishinskys and Gromykos of the Soviet Foreign Office. Of equal importance, he was able to keep left-wing members of his own party from running wild. But Mr. Bevin's power and prestige began to decline with failure of his Palestine policy, and a physical breakdown in 1949 left him a near invalid. Although he remained as head of the foreign office until last month, the latter years of his diplomatic career saw him giving ground to left-wing influences, doubtless as a result of his failing health. 2 A great Englishman, Ernest Bevin contributed much to his country and to the world in his more effective years from 1945 to 1949. It is unfortunate for the cause of freedom that the British Labor Party has no leader now who can match such vigor and wisdom as he displayed then.

Morals Hit New Low

HE record is already replete with examples of hot-tem-pered, injudicious remarks uttered by President Truman . on a variety of subjects. ! It would be wrong to say that these would be better left unpublished, since they reflect on the dignity of both the man and the post he occupies. The truth is they afford part of the portrait of Mr. Truman that the American people should have. They provide some of the measure for Judging the wisdom and emotional balance of his official White House behavior. = a

BUT TO record telephone conversations with the President, as Sen. Tobey has done, seems to go beyond the bounds of fairness and decency. In the interest of the office he holds, if not in the interest of the man himself, an effort must be made to preserve some degree of dignity in the Presidency. This ig just one step removed from tapping the President's wire. That a man of Tobey's professed high moral stature could even contemplate recording Mr, Truman's words without his knowledge indicates how threadbare the nation’s moral fabric has actually become.

Unintended Service

ERE'S a little balm for the taxpavers: The U. S. Senate Rules Committee has put a limit—38300,000 a vear—on the telegraph bill the 96 Senators can run up at government expense. ; Each Senator will have a ‘‘dollar quota” for gavern-ment-paid messages, based on his state's population and its distance from Washington. Heretofore, with no limit, every Senator could charge as many telegrams as his conscience told him were properly “public business.” And some senatorial consciences were remarkably flexible. . : No : George W. Malone (R, Nev.), :for instance, made a practice for the last four. years -of wiring long “news . releases’ about his speeches and .views to newspapers all aver the country. One such, last January, cost the government about $900. This, many editors protested, was a sheer waste of taxpayers’ money, Mr. Malone's speeches and views having no news interest. Most Senators were more restricted. But the Senate's telegraph bill climbed from $340,000 in 1948 to $355,000 in 1949 and to $408,000 last year. So, if the new limit is strictly enforced, there'll be a worth-while saving. "And, since Sen, Malone's excesses will be chiefly responsible for it, he will have performed-—unintentionally —one of the few really useful public services of his career in Congress. - Unfortunately, the limit is not made retroactive. It won't require Sen. Malone and other abusers of the telegram privilege to replace the money they've already sent down the drain. !

»

per gnividvey

Hoosier Forum—

‘Let's Kick Truman Out—OIld Mac Deserv

“Just Suppose, Senator’

MR. EDITOR:

It is with deep amusement that I see in your paper, that ‘our local ‘manufacturer and incidentally our U, 8, Senator Capehart is going great guns, calling treason, impeachment, MacArthur betrayed. An industrialist speaks . , . what irony. Tet's start with the supposition that Mac is

No Ordinary April Shower

a

general foreman at Capehart's enterprise. There is a lot of competition in Radio, TV and record players. © Here is Mac, general foreman. Years In the

organization have made him a saga. Mac, with .

a heritage of wonderful achievement, grows old and his ego gets bigger. He is tops in Indianapolis. He is unquestionably trustworthy to the interests of the dear Senator's enterprises. Once or twice he revealed some campaign

By Talburt

KOREAN WAR . . . By Fred Sparks

ON THE CENTRAL KOREAN FRONT, Apr. 16—While the airwaves and presses sizzle with various phases of the great MacArthur controversy, it is important at this time to take another look at our military situation here in Korea. : It should be a hard. realistic look without any wishy-washy thinking. What is printed below I base completely on conversations I have had in the last month with top officers of most American divisions here and on several personal nervous visits to the bullet boulevards.

Background .

AFTER driving us or causing us to flee deep

into South Korea last fall, the Chinese braked

their push (perhaps their supply lines ran out but you can’t prove that). Then Lt. Gen. Ridgway began to shove up north. Both Tokyo and Gen. Ridgway ipsisted that the operation was just that--to cripple and kill the Chinese foe, not merely to br real estate. ; In truth all the operation ever hit jn the way of serious resistance was a big bag of wind. The Chinese did not and will not make a serious attempt to delay our drive. Anyone who has been over the terrain involved can easily see they had many magnificent defensive positions—they merely utilized them for rearguard actions : While withdrawing in extremely orderly fashion the Chinese shot back a few counter attacks, Several of these counter attacks—including one that smashed an entire Korean division—were very successful In these counter attacks the Chinese captured—and took off with them--more military tackle than they left behind. A knowing officer tells me that we lost more gear in our advance than the Chinese lost in their retreat. To some extent we succeeded in- the stated aim to kill large numbers of Mao's mobsters. But—all hands here agree the figures of enemy casualties have been grossly exaggerated. In

NJ

Let's Take a Realistic Look

any case. concerning casualties we can prove absolutely nothing.

The Situation Today THE CHINESE are still carefully and skillfully withdrawing at some points and beginning to hold at others. They are organizing new units, repolishing others, plan a huge counter attack.

Conclusion AT NO TIME did the Chinese ever make an all-out effort to shove us out of Korea. In the same way we are fighting a halfhearted war here (by not bémbing supply lines inzide China) so the Communist foe is fighting a half-hearted war against us by not bringing all his pressure-—on the ground and in the air into play.

Reason THE CHINESE do not and never have wanted to boot us all the way out of Korea. (One thing which they could find mighty hard to do right now-- with our forces blooded, raring to go and supported by batches of new artillery.) It is to the advantage of the Kremlin and its Oriental bush leaguers to keep this huge Ameriran Army pinned down and bleeding in this far-off land, rather than have it pull out and of shipping we would present an amphibious of shipping we would present an amphibous threat to any further ambitions they might have in the Orient. It is better to see your enemy in front of vou than have him sailing behind your back.

Personal Observation CERTAINLY the realization that the Chinese are employing the pin-down approach in Korea strongly influences belief (as held by Gen. MacArthur) that we should bomb their supply lines as the only way of relieving pressure. And the fact that the Chinese are only using part of the strength influences the British who told me in Hong Kong and Singapore: “It 1s better to have a China 80 per cent neutral than 100 per cent hostile.” And 1 offer this name for our Korean adventure: “The half-hearted war.”

DEAR BOSS .-. . Bv Dan Kidney Ser, Mac Worries Some Republicans

WASHINGTON, Apr. 16 (Gen Douglas MacArthur's homecoming here is likely to rival that of any conquering hero in history despite the fact that he has been fired by his commander-in-chief. Still the shrewd politician, when the chips are down, President Truman gave the greenlight to the ‘Democratic Congressiohal leaders to approve the GOP move for a joint sessions Of the House and Senate where the general will speak. ? One look at the deluge of critical telegrams and letters that swamped the White House as well as Capitol Hill must have convinced Mr. Truman that giving Gen. MacArthur the full treatment here was ‘the onlyest thing to do."

Deflates Some Republicans

IT TOOK the wind out of some Republicans’ sails and already the GOP percentage men are beginning to speculate about what will happen when “the tumult and the shouting dies.” Some of his loudest supporters are saying ‘that the general may want his way with the party and not giving it to him now would be most embarrassing. Sen. Robert A. Taft (R. 0.), who is. as confident of being nominated for President in 1952 as Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New. York was of moving into the White House after his second campaign, may be smiling wanly if the “we want MacArthur” shouting goes into extra innings. Already a MacArthur-for-President headquarters has. been opened here,

May Have Hurt ‘lke’

PROMINENT in the political speculation is the idea that the Republicans having gone allut (with few exceptions) for the MacArthur Far Eastern policy, may have slammed the door in the face of any “draft Eisenhower” deal. All

“admit that-MacArthur will have to hit the TV

jackpot flo have the political “it” of Gen. “Ike.” Warnings on what could happen are appearing

)

irr letters to the newspapers here, some of which sound genuinely concerned. “Are the Republicans in their zeal to support MacArthur against Truman about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in 1952?" one f the writers asked. There has been a growing conviction In Washington and throughout the country that no Democrat stood a ghost of a chance of winning the presidency in 1952.

Want to ‘March’ With ‘lke’

THIS HAS been due in large part to the decline in President Truman's popularity, as a result of his default of leadership in international and domestic affairs, but there was another factor that Eisenhower could sweep the country and that the Republicans could - hardly be so suicidal as to pass up the opportunity of marching to certain victory behind him. It was felt that if Taft made a strong bid for-the nomination, as he {8s certain to do, Eisenhower would permit his name to be put forward at the convention, But ‘how can the Republicans nominate him, and how could he accept the nomination, if they go all out to back MacArthur on a. series of issues on which Eisenhower stands squarely on the opposite side?

Raises Several Questions _ ADDING UP these issues and looking at the temper of the Republican leadership today, the chances of Eisenhower's becoming the Republican nominee begin to look as if they were destined to dwindle. y : Then the question is: If the Republican nominee stood on the opposite side of these issues, would Eisenhower challenge the authority of a chief who called upon him to accept the Democratic nomination; and what would be the verdict of the people? One wonders if the Republican genius for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory 1s fot once more asserting itself, : ’ :

Khao bbe Euan i a ye A A

v ——io

strategy against the radio and TV United Manufacturers, Still supposing the capable Senator called him into the office first . . . then flew by plane to the able general foreman’'s estate and on both occasions complimented him for his intense loyalty but warned him about keeping a closed lip. ° Then someone in the opposition got a not too bright idea. “Get ahold of Mac. He is the guy who knows the local works. Even if the guy is old and dumb, he is the guy. Appeal to his ego. He likes to talk and he always has. What do we care. He will stick his neck out and maybe we can influence public opinion against the Senator who has tried his level best to keep on an even keel in his field.” And here comes Mac. He doesn’t address the Senator. He writes a letter to Funds Unlimited baring his idea of strategy. He becomes page one news. What would you do, Senator? You would fire him, of course. ~Herb Campbell, City.

‘Tell Both Sides’

MR. EDITOR: + « + There are always two sides to a story but the newspapers are telling only one side in this one. The first thing I saw was “Let -the People Take Charge.” All right, let them, but give them the facts first. The people all love MacArthur and think he's a great man, which he is. All I want you, who are reading this, to do is look at.both sides of the story. It appears that several million of us are overlooking the fact that Gen. MacArthur was giving press conferences against orders. With these conferences and other things he was leading us right into a war. People at Washington knew this was the wrong thing for the general to do. Why do we want war when we need all our men and guns for a war that will someday come about? You see, MacArthur has forgotten a country called Russia. . . . President Truman as well as others know we couldn't let this be done. We don’t want a World War III or'a civil war do we? After all, most of us have children to raise. I wish anyone of you would go into a high school and see what the world history classes are doing. They are discussing openly and freely this problem of communism vs. democracy. —Shortridge High School Pupil, City.

‘Constitutional Powers’ MR. EDITOR: Acting under his constitutional powers, the President has removed Gen. MacArthur of his command in the Far East. Those who are screaming treason at the President should take time out to read the Constitution, especially Article II, Section 2, Clause 1: “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of

the several states, when called into the actual

service of the United States.” As further pointing out the subordinate position of the military to civil authorities, I quote the powers of Congress as outlined in Article 1, Section ®: “The Congress shall have power to declare war . . . and make rules concerning captures on land and water: to raise and support armies . . . to provide and maintain a navy; to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces.” It will thus be noted that civil authorities have full and complete control over military figures. including the great MacArthur. It may be further noted that the Constitution does not make the President's exercise of power dependent on the approval of Old Guard Republicans or publishers of certain newspapers. —Judson F. Haggerty, RR 6, Box 396, City.

‘Great Dramatist’ MRE. EDITOR: I am a former soldier who served under Gen. MacArthur in World War II, and a senior in the Indiana University School of Law. Both as a veteran and a law student, I wish to congratulate President Truman on his decision to remove Gen. MacArthur. Just before the liberation of the Philippine Islands I remember that sample-sized packages of cigarets were given to many of us with the

Philippine flag printed upon the package. On the reverse side was printed: “I shall return - Douglas MacArthur.” Regardless of the question of who footed the bill for this huge printing job, such dramatics were certainly not called for—especially when less theatrically inclined soldiers were dying for their country. From the legal point of view, there is no question as to MacArthur's duty to follow orders. The military is at all times subordinate to civil authorities. That is one of the princifles of Constitutional law which has historically been a factor in the salvation of this nation from rule of dictators. —M. Walter Bell, 535 Winona Village, City.

‘Now He'll Get Letters’ MR. EDITOR: » Mr. Truman has really done it, hasn't he? I wonder just what his latest decision has brought down on the heads and hearts of our boys over there? What will this do to their morale and fighting ability? Will they have anything at all left to fight with in this.dog eat dog game?” = Maybe we shpuld console ourselves with the thought that we have made one person happy anyway. How Russia must love us. This isn't the first mistake Mr. Truman has made, or even the second. This is just one of a series. He has made himself a laughing stock. It seems that all this wise cracking, letter writing little boy can do, is pass compliments on his daughter's singing and write letters to the wrong people. Now it is our turn to write a few letters. He'll have to-pull a rabbit out of his hat now to call the country off. If he runs in '52,there won't be enough voting machines in this country to take care of the

Republican. votes. —Mrs.!R. O. C. City.

‘Get Rid of Truman’ MR. EDITOR: : . Vaughan wasn't fired but MacArthur was. MacArthur doesg’t uphold American policy (says H.S.T.)—or\ does he? Do “Acheson and Vaughan represent American policy? Harry Hopkins was right: “The poeple are too dumb to understand” that when they elect a peanut brain with the morals and the integrity of the

Pendergast gang, we will get exactly what we're

getting now: War , . . confusion . .. waste . . . extravagance . .. and eventually complete moral and financial breakdown. If one man can order our citizens sent to Korea and killed, yet allow their so-called enemies, the Communists, the freedom of our country; can fire Gen. MacArthur, in whom the country has great confidence, but keep on the payroll a confidence man; can put thousands upon thousands of needless persons on federal payrolls; can under the cloak of defense keep our taxes to the bleeding point yet retain his $50,000 tax free income; if one man can do all these things and many more in defiance of the American people why can't we put him out of office immediately? And if he can not be put out of office after all these flagrant violations, what is the differ-

ence between a president and a dictator ex-

cept freedom of the press? —J. G. T., City.

ed To Be Fired’

‘Truman and’ Mules’ MR. EDITOR: . + « Now in my estimation, Doug MacArthur is the best soldier, without exception, the world has yet produced. And what I cannot understand is why the people of this little old USA would keep him from advancing along his line

of duty and usefulness. Did it ever strike that he has followers in other places besides here who need the strength of a man who serves God before man. And it little behooves any of us to criticize our President too much. Why, that stubborn little man has more kick than any Army mule and is more efficient than any jackass battery anyone can produce . .. ~Tom, City,

‘With a Big Bang’ MR. EDITOR: Gen. Ridgeway arrives in Tokyo wearing his grenades. Is he going to be another egotistical grandstander who wades out of the water at every turn? Let’s all be fair and think twice before condemning the administration foy putting Mac-

Arthur in the sock.

Maybe these generals are all a bunch of trigger-happy nuts who want to set the world on fire. At any rate let's not have every West Point grad in the country serving up a foreign

policy. I, for one, would hate to answer to the general if IL were insubordinate under him. Anyway, he helped crucify the late, great Gen. Billy Mitchell, so maybe the birds are coming home to roost. —Reader, City,

‘We'll Have to Pay’

MR. EDITOR: ... It'won't be Mr. Truman who will have to pay for this mistake: it will be us, the people, who will have to pay for it in human lives and shame. We have only ourselves to blame for this affair because, by electing him to our nation's highest office, we entrusted him not only with our lives, but also with our hard-earned freedom. : To many people, Gen. MacArthur's removal from office was not due to his lack of abflity or failure in his role as commander in the Korean War. It was due to a certain principle Mr. Truman was taking full advantage of. The principle that the military must be under complete authority of the civilian. ¢ ¢& 2 HAD Gen. MacArthur not been achieving an unusual amount of success in his strategy in the Korean War, I and many other Americans would be perfectly willing to agree with our President. As the matter stands, the general was relieved of his duties at a time when he was proving what a tremendous asset he was to our chances of a victory in Korea. We all know that Harry 8. Truman decided this measure under extreme pressure from his friends Dean Acheson. England, and France. And ‘as for himself. I don’t believe he has ever had an opinion of his own. I only hope that it isn’t too late to correct that situation by restoring Gen. MacArthur to an office that literally seems made just for him. ‘If it takes impeachment of Harry to do it, come on, Mr. Jenner, and let's impeach him - —A Worried Hoosier, City.

MR EDITOR: ... We as citizens allow for mistakes. but when these mistakes endanger our lives just for President Truman's personal satisfaction, we are not Americans unle¥as we express ourselves in our American way to our representatives who were elected for this sole purpose. : —Julius A. Hancock, City.

MR. EDITOR: ... It seems to me that when Gen. MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of the Far East, and as such under the United Nation's flag, he was to become not an American general but. a general responsible to one body . . . the United Nations Security Council. Why should President Truman or any member of Congress fire any Army official who is controlled by a world-wide council. . . . Perhaps average American citizen's opinions don’t count now, but they certainly do count at election time. . + « Considering the Japanese reaction . . . isn’t it of any importance? The Japanese people on the whole are. shocked and stunned. ... As for England . . . England chose to recognize the Chinese Communists, The United States did not. Is this why England is so up in the air over the way Gen. MacArthur was fighting this war? I think it's time to determine who's fighting this war . . . the United States or the United Nations. The President's action would seem to point out that we are fighting this war.” If that's true then, let's get out of the United Nations. . .. ' —Dela M. Cade, City.

‘Get On With the War’

MR. EDITOR: . This is a vicious circle. When democratie leaders, by their actions, exemplify the individual fears of their constituents, greater fear is installed in them for their chief executive to reflect on the next round. In this Truman vs. MacArthur matter I have no great interest. I, and I believe most Americans, have no love or hate for either party as a person. While there is some use of MacArthur to further Republican ‘Party and politic's aims, this is a byproduct. The majority of our citizens are rallying to him as'a symbol of strength and action. They feel like soldiers pinned down by snipers and forbidden to move by their captain when a lieutenant says, “Let's get those snipers before they pick us off one at a time.” Now, let's’get on with the war. If we win, it's OK."If we don’t that's OK too as long as we give it the best we've got. If Washington or Indianapolis has to take an atomic bomb, so what? We don’t expect to live forever but we can live with courage while we are here. -—F. W. M.,, City.

FLEETING THOUGHT

A THOUGHT, a thought, I had it then . . . it died within my mind . . . and try as ever hard I did . . . its theme I couldn’t find . . . but still and all it seenied to be . . . . locked tight within my brain . . . and only needed one small kéy . . . to come to light again . .%. I searched and searched . . . until I gave up hope . . . for 1. had failed to lasso it . . . with my small mental rope . . . so I decided that I would . . . goon to something new . . . in hope perchance . +. that it would come . . . back to my mental view . .. a thought, a thought, I had it then . . . it died within my mind . . . and try as ever hard 1 did ... . its theme I couldn't find. —By Ben Burroughs,

. MO!